Time will tell
by Ellaaine
Summary: What if it was Regina, not Hook, who was dragged through Zelena's portal with Emma? What if the new land will force them to cooperate in order to survive? And what if somewhere deep inside each woman wants their newly discovered relation to actually work out? Well, time will tell. SwanQueen, mostly AU.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there:) So this is my first serious story written in English. It's not my national language, but I did my best, apologize for any mistakes.

Oh and I don't own anything, maybe except a little bit of imagination;)

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The silence of the late evening in Storybrooke was interrupted by rapid movement. Then the huge beam of light shout out of the old barn near the edge of the town. For Emma it was just another sign that nothing in her life could go just the way she planned it. No, instead it was a rollercoaster of surprises. She was just sitting on a bench in park, leafing through the pages of this magical book that started everything and trying to find in there a reason to stay. She's been sitting there for over an hour and her search was pointless. Her parents now had a new baby and because of that she felt a bit unwanted. Her son was happy back there in their 'fake' life. Above all she felt an unpleasant twinge near her heart every time she saw Regina and Robin beaming with happiness. And because all of these, she decided that maybe one more cataclysm will distract her thoughts for a while. She grabbed the book and hurried to the source of this pillar of light.

When she arrived there the wind has already intensified due to that new obstacle. Barn door were closed and she was just about to approach them when she heard familiar female voice and it made her stop immediately.

"Ms. Swan I wouldn't..." the rest of Regina's words were drowned out by the bang of opening door. They saw a matter-sucking vortex and before Emma could react, the whirl began to drag her in. The force of the vortex was so strong that Regina also fell to the ground. She however had enough time to enchant a rope so that one end was tied around nearby tree, and the other end she held tightly in her hand. Emma managed to grab her leg.

"What the hell is that?!" the blonde yelled, trying to outshout the noise.

"Zelena's time portal. It opened when she died, fulfilling her last will!" Regina explained, feeling that at any moment the rope could slip out of her hand.

"Regina I can't, the rope won't withstand both of us!" at these words the younger woman let go of brunette's leg and was pulled through the portal.

"Emma!" she tried to do something but really there was nothing she could do. Well, maybe except one thing. "Oh for goodness's sake why being a hero has to be so damn hard?" she added grumpily before throwing herself into the vortex after the daughter of her former enemy.

What a paradox, isn't it? She's found her new soul mate, she's defeated her wicked sister, she's regained her son's trust and now she's faced the possibility of getting rid of the Savior, which would help her take revenge on Snow White. Instead she risked it all by throwing herself into the unknown because of the most irritating and stubborn human being she has ever met. Why? Regina, asked later, will probably answer that it was because of Henry. Because he would never forgave her for abandoning Emma like that. And of course, it was the truth, but it wasn't the real reason why she decided to let go of the rope in that moment. The real reason was much more complicated and she wasn't ready to admit to it.

So that was it. Two women have disappeared in the time portal and everything went back to normal. The wind died down and there was silence in Storybrooke again.

* * *

The landing was much less painful than brunette had thought. She bounced from some elastic stuff, then fell on something that seemed to be the ground. And although her body experienced not entirely pleasant feeling, her head landed on something warm and soft.

Emma couldn't say the same, because she landed directly on a hard surface and that 'something' which mitigated Regina's fall was her abdomen. As the silent groan escaped Emma's mouth Regina immediately jump to her feet.

"Uh...thank you for cushioned landing " she tried to smile apologetically as she held out her hand toward Emma to help her get up.

"Anytime" the blonde murmured, grabbing outstretched palm. "Why you?" it was the first question that came into Emma's mind.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why among all people in town, it was you who came to the barn?"

"Oh you're welcome Ms. Swan, really"

"You didn't answer my question" Emma pushed, though she knew she shouldn't. In fact she was quite relieved that someone was with her. What's more, she realised that she didn't mind Regina's company at all. She was just curious, it was a trait of her character from childhood.

"Henry has just lost his father. What do you think he would have done, if he had found out that he also lost you?" Regina's words hung in the air for a longer while before Emma realised that it was brunette's way of saying 'I care about you enough to not let you die'. And it caused a small smile on her face.

"Yeah...But how did you know that I actually was there?"

"Well it wasn't hard to figure out that you'll be the first one to get there. You're the Savior after all. But since you've lost your magic rescuing that pirate, I thought you'll need some help" Regina answered coldly, but her tone lacked it's usual bitterness. It was no time for that.

"Umm..." Emma stuttered, when she was reminded about what happened with Hook. Maybe Zelena was wrong about the lips she's cursed, but she was damn right about trying to kill somebody in front of her. She knew that the Savior would try to rescue him. And that's what Emma did, though she was well aware of the consequences. It was magic, and she chose to pay the price. After all, that's what heroes do, isn't it? They do sacrifice themselves, no matter how would it end for them.

"Thanks" she finally said. "I guess it would be nice to have some company in this..." Emma carefully looked around. Not that she was an expert of magical lands, but this one looked especially oddly. "Where the hell we actually are?"

Regina's attentive eyes surveyed the surroundings. The brunette saw exactly what she didn't want to see. She sighed.

"Big, spongy mushrooms, winding path with no end and no beginning, insects with dragon heads and that suffocating smell of hookah...Well Ms. Swan, welcome to Wonderland".

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So that's it. I hope that you liked it. It's supposed to be a longer story, so please let me know if you want another chapters:)


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, thank you for such nice reviews! What's more, there were plenty of visitors from Poland, where I'm from, so that's another pleasant surprise.

So, here it is, I hope that you'll like my idea about the whole story;)

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"Wonderland? Why would Zelena make a portal to this place?" the younger woman was quite confused about what brunette has just said.

"Because when I threw myself into that vortex, that was the first place that came into my mind and I thought how much I didn't want to go here" Regina explained casually. "My sweet sister had to know that. Which is exactly why we've got stuck in here".

"I think I still don't get it"

"Really ? Haven't you red the book?" Regina raised her eyebrow.

"I have, but..." annoyed brunette interrupted her, shoving the book into her hands. She rolled a few pages, until their eyes saw the image of a woman sitting on a throne, dressed in an scarlet gown. Her face was hidden under a bizarre mask.

"Does it make sense now?" Emma's eyes began to quickly scan the text. Her mind focused on particular words such as 'Cora...', '...exiled by her own daughter...', ' ...to the land called Wonderland', '...became The Queen Of Hearts'.

The blonde looked up from the book. "If it really was a time portal... then it means that your mother is still alive and in charge of this land..." It was more like an uncertain whisper than a shrewd observation.

"I'm glad we're finally on the same page " that remark wasn't left without acerbity. "Now to the point. Since thanks to my sister and also thanks to you, we're stuck in here, let's think over a strategy for survival".

"Thanks to me? I'm really sorry Madam Mayor if this situation doesn't fit your standards. Maybe you should have thought about it before throwing yourself into that damn vortex!" the blonde said a little too loudly than she planned, but Regina's words made her blood boil. That infuriating woman was unthinkable. Even in the most crappy situation she was able to blame Emma.

She was about to add something, but she froze in mid-sentence. Right above Regina's shoulder she saw unnaturally wide grin, hanging just like that in the air. Right after the smile the pair of big, blue eyes appeared, staring at her. The look on Emma's face made Regina turn around. Now she saw not only the grin and the eyes, but the whole cat. His fluffy fur was gleaming green, although seemingly it was gray.

"Strangers... Strangers in Wonderland" he purred, lazily turning in the air. "I'm sure that the Queen would be interested in this knowledge"

"Since when the Cheshire Cat is on the Queen's side?" Emma asked doubtfully. Regina gave her a questioning look. "What? Maybe I wasn't the most believing child, but I read books you know?" then ignoring the older woman, she turned to face the cat.

"Oh me? No, I'm quite... independent" after these words the cat suddenly disappeared, only to reappear a few meters away. "However most of the creatures, like the March hare for example, will immediately realize that you are not...local. Your clothes... well, even in Wonderland they look quite weird" he chuckled at the sight of the astonishment on their faces.

"Therefore, tell us where we can find the White Rabbit" Regina sounded impatient.

"I'd love to, but I have no idea where that timid animal is" the cat vanished again, and this time appeared just before the brunette, making her take a few steps backwards. "But I know who has" he grinned widely. Regina grimaced.

"Please don't say..."

"Caterpillar" cat's smile became even wider.

"And we're supposed to trust you?" this time it was Emma who asked the question.

"The only thing that you can rely on in Wonderland is that you can't really rely on anybody" another chuckle. "Good luck then...Strangers..." after these words the cat completely disappeared and this time didn't show up again.

"Well, that's something" Emma started.

"No, that's nothing" she did her best to sound as annoyed as possible, but all that escaped her mouth was sad whisper. "But he was right about one thing. We can't wander through Wonderland in these clothes" she waved her hand and a pile of clothes appeared on the ground in front of them.

"I thought that you can't conjure things out of nothing" Emma pointed out.

"Because you can't" Regina said casually.

"So you stole it?"

"I'd rather say borrowed" Emma wanted to add something, but concluded that in the current situation there was no point in arguing. They needed those clothes. "Now dress up" the brunette threw her a set of clothes. It was a white t-shirt and trousers with braces. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that the pants were black-and-white checkered. Regina had exactly the same set, except that her shirt was black, and her trousers were black-and-red.

"There's no way I'm going to wear it"

"Yes you are" Regina's voice was so emphatic that Emma has decided to simply follow the instructions. Without thinking, she took her red jacket and tank top off and began to hesitantly look at the new garments. Suddenly the brunette find herself slightly perplexed with that view. For a few moments, her eyes seemed to be unable to look away from the blonde. But then she shook her head and began to change her outfit. What she didn't know was that Emma was well aware of being observed. What's more, she also didn't know that Emma hadn't felt like this for years. She felt...abashed.

* * *

"Great, now we look like damn Laurel and Hardy" Emma commented once they were ready.

"Believe it or not, that's exactly what we need right now. Now let's go, shall we? I want to get there before nightfall" brunette picked up a book. Short snap of fingers and the book has shrunk to such small size that Regina easily put it in her pocket. Emma thought, how is it that this book is always at hand, but she decided not to speak her thoughts out loud.

"There? But the cat didn't tell which way to go"

"Oh but he didn't have to" Regina smirked. "Look, I know that you may have lost your powers, but sometimes magic is just believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen. Come on Swan, finding people, or magical creatures in this case, is your specialty" If Emma didn't see brunette's mouth moving, she wouldn't believe in what she's just heard. "Just focus" and so she did. She closed her eyes and tried to feel this land. At first it was nothing. But after a while she suddenly felt something. It was so clear and obvious...

"Hookah..." she whispered and because her eyes were still closed, she didn't see a small smile on Regina's face.

"Just try not to get addicted" the brunette teased as she started to move in a direction where the scent was most intense, leaving Emma with head full of questions and with hope that Regina knows the right answers.

* * *

Wow, so today is the day. Today is my 18th birthday! ^^ What surprises will life bring me from now on? Well, I hope that time will tell;3

If you want to, I think that the next chapter will appear in about five days time.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for wishes! And sorry for the delay, I got a new computer and I had to sort out the files. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

The path was very twisty and steep. Every now and then it was changing into the stairs or it became so steep as the slide. So the two women, willy-nilly, had to cooperate. The pace of the march was common, they were cautious during steep downhill, and also they strived to avoid biting comments which could degenerate into quarrels.

"Why exactly we're looking for the White Rabbit?" Emma broke the silence.

"Well, you won't find that knowledge in any book, but this creature owns the power to open portals between worlds" brunette was glad that she got the chance to speak. Normally she was used to silence, but in this land it bothered her and she didn't exactly know why.

"Between worlds? I thought that we are trying to get back to the future".

"Yes dear, we are. But we can't do that in this land, it's too dangerous. Who knows what my mother did. To be honest I never wanted to know. But I'm sure she's intimidated the majority of residents. Since we are still alive, that is to say, she doesn't know we're here, but nevertheless the time is running out" that was the first time when Emma saw the sadness in Regina's eyes. But it was brief because the brunette quickly looked away once Emma nodded with understanding.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the high wall has grown in front of them. For Emma it looked a bit like the climbing wall from an amusement park.

"That's why I love Wonderland" Regina muttered. "Now what?"

"Now? Well Madam Mayor, now we climb" that was some strange note of enthusiasm in Emma's voice that made the older woman frown. It was nothing funny in climbing. Especially not when it comes to such steep wall. ESPECIALLY when it comes to such steep wall in Wonderland. "Come on, I have your back" Emma added, seeing the hesitation on brunette's face. When she heard the words of the younger women she wanted to believe that they were true. Unsteadily she walked over to the wall and found a place, which she could grab in order to pull herself up. For a while the blonde just stood there, watching the other woman climb. She admired her movements. They were nimble, though uncertain. Regina was many, Evil Queen, Mayor, mother, pain in ass, but in that moment, she wasn't any of that. She was just a person, very similar to the girl from the beginnings of the book. She had a goal, simple goal, to survive. And for Emma this girl was the most interesting part of Regina's personality.

"Hey girl, are you going to stay here and stare for the whole day?" it was the whisper that scared the crap out of blonde. She though forced herself not to cry out loud. She knew that whisper and when she turned around, she wasn't surprised to see the Cheshire Cat. Or rather his head floating in the air. "You don't want to spend the night in Wonderland alone honey, believe me"

"First of all, I'm not..." Emma started but the cat interrupted her.

"Yes you are" he grinned. "I can tell the difference between looking and staring. And you darling? You were staring at her with that soft expression on your face. Have I missed something?" and to that, she had no answer. The cat just smiled widely once more and disappeared before she could stop him. With a shake of her head she glanced once more at the brunette and she started to climb.

Emma soon discovered it was nothing like the wall from the amusement park. That wall was fun. This wall was freaking treacherous. The smaller stones that were the only thing to hold on to, where disappearing and appearing in all different places. If you wait for too long, you'll fall to the ground. And the ground was about 20 meters below.

They were almost at the top, when it happened. Suddenly the stone that Regina used to pull herself up disappeared. Regina lurched and leaned back so that she was no longer able to reach another stone. The panic rose in her eyes. But it was then, when Emma, using all of her strength, pulled herself up so fast, that she was able to put her hand on the brunette's back before it was too late. She pushed Regina forward so the older woman was able to hold herself on her own. Both gasped loudly.

"You weren't joking about having my back" Regina said to Emma with a hint of gratitude in her voice.

"Nope. Though I didn't expect that I'll do that literally" she answered with a goofy smile.

Then there was another moment of silence, until Regina reached the top.

"It seems that the worst is behind us" the brunette said, looking at a giant leaf that stretched from the top of the wall and down to the ground, forming something resembling a huge slide.

"Whoa...this land is becoming stranger and stranger" Emma said once she catched up with her.

"Let's go or this thing will also dissapear" Regina stated and as if nothing had happened, she began to slide down this huge leaf.

'Really?' Emma thought. 'Not so long ago she was afraid to climb that wall and now she...ughh...If I die at the end of this slide, I'll kill her' and with this though, she pushed herself forward and started to slide.

If the rollercoaster makes the guts come up to the throat, Emma was sure that at that moment her bowels escaped her body at least a few times. This downhill ride seemed to have no end, and continuous turns made her lose orientation. Suddenly she felt that she was no longer on the leaf, but on the ground. Her body made few flips in order to stop. And it worked...well kind of. She landed on the grass with her legs slung over Regina.

"I assume that now we're even " she mumbled, trying to move.

"Yeah...sorry" this time it was Emma who helped Regina to get up. "Look, at least it was worth it" she pointed to the large mushroom surrounded by fog in the distance. "Where's that fog coming from?"

"Oh that's not fog" the brunette said in a tone as if she was explaining something to a child. "If this creature doesn't stop smoking, quite soon it'll go mad, if it already hasn't happened" she added as they started walking towards the source of that 'fog'.

As they approached, they saw a huge caterpillar sitting on, as it turned out, hallucinogenic mushroom and smoking the highest water pipe that Emma's ever seen. The fungus was on the edge of the clearing, which meant that it wasn't the best place to stay in hiding, but they had to talk with him.

"Who are you?" they heard the hoarse voice of the Caterpillar.

"Does it matter? You'll forget it anyway" Regina replied casually.

"We're looking for the White Rabbit" Emma explained quickly as if she was afraid that the other woman would say something inappropriate.

"Like we all" the bug laughed. "But none of us will find him".

"And why's that?" Regina sounded irritated as always.

"Fools, because The Queen Of Hearts's imprisoned him!"

"And you're telling us this just like that? You don't want anything in return?" for Emma something was wrong. And it was not about the smell of hookah.

"Your death will be enough reward" and again his laughter filled the air. "Now get out of my sight or I'll lead you to the queen faster than you can say hookah" that was his last words and the women didn't want to test his patience.

* * *

From half an hour they were wandering in the woods, still losing the way, and the sun was getting lower.

"Are you going to say something?" Emma started.

"What do you expect me to say Emma?" the blonde didn't know what's surprised her more, her sad tone or the fact that she called her by her name. "That we are gong to actually do this? Save the White Rabbit from my mother? Just like that? No, we won't. We're stuck in here and we might not be able to see Henry ever again..." her voice cracked. For Emma it was the first time that she saw the older woman showing vulnerability and she didn't know exactly how to act.

"Hey, of course we will see him. And it's going to be really soon, I promise" it kind of slipped out of her mouth before she bit her tongue.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" she replied wryly. The blonde opened her mouth to say something, but nothing come out.

"Look, I know I may suck at this, but I'll do my best. That I can promise you. But now I think it's time for us to rest. It got dark, and this land clearly has a bad influence on you" with this words Emma walked over to the tree, which was somewhat isolated and picked up from the ground a few dry branches, forming a cone. Then she sat leaning back against the trunk. Regina raised and eyebrow, but formed a small fireball in her hand, then lit a bonfire. "You know I don't bite, right?" the blonde asked, looking at the other woman who was still standing.

"Sometimes I really question your maturity Ms. Swan" the brunette said sitting next to her.

"Oh, so we're back to that? I hoped that you remember my name" the younger woman sighed.

"You really are like a child sometimes, Emma" she gave her a small smile. And she couldn't help that spark of warmth, that lit inside her, when she received a smile back.

"You should get some sleep"

"What about you?"

"Let's just say that I'm used to sleepless nights" Emma answered shortly. She didn't want to talk about her childhood and memories of foster families. It would make Regina feel guilty and she didn't want that. She knew that this Regina's changed.

"And what about that 'you can't really rely on anyone' thing?"

"Well, I suppose that you just have to trust me" that was something in Emma's eyes. Something that made Regina feel safe. So she just nodded and turned her back to the younger woman in order to find a position to sleep.

It was a peaceful night. Quite quiet and warm because of the bonfire, which was still burning. And despite the fatigue, Emma found herself watching the sleeping brunette.

"It's quite a lovely picture, you know?" this time she was well aware who's voice was that.

"Are you following us?"

"Yes and no. I'm just here in case you would like to talk" Emma gave him anxious look.

"In this land it's quite hard to have a heart that belongs to someone else" the cat smiled indulgently and with that he was gone again.

* * *

This is the longer chapter, I wanted to push the story a bit forward. And I have a question for you. Do you want them to get in trouble with messing with the plot or rather not? Let me know what you think;)


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